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September 19, 2011

Even non-Yankee fans can appreciate Mariano Rivera

There was no way to know he would become the greatest closer in the history of baseball. At the time, he was still the backup to John Wetteland.

But on Monday afternoon, Rivera stood on the mound at Yankee Stadium and recorded a Major League record 602 saves.

While it’s a statistic made up from a cranky sportswriter once upon a time, Rivera’s accomplishment is a remarkable feat.

As a New York Yankees fan, there is no better song to hear at Yankee Stadium than 'Enter Sandman'. The song brings confidence, joy and an overwhelming feeling that your team is about to win another game.

But as well as I remember those days, I remember every other postseason game and the five World Series titles Rivera helped the Yankees win.

Rivera jogged out of the bullpen with the blue and white bunting draped across the stadium. 'Enter Sandman' blaring on the speakers and then minutes later hugging my friends as we sang ‘New York, New York’ together.

602 is special.

But the number I love more from Rivera is – coincidentally – 42 right now.
Rivera has an 8-1 record and a remarkable 42 saves in the playoffs with a postseason career 0.71 ERA.

We know what Rivera has done in the regular season, but under the most extreme circumstances, he’s been just as great and just as dominant.
From 1996 – when he was a set up man – until now, he’s been steady. He’s been the person Yankee fans can rely on consistently.

And he’s still doing it at 41 years old.

For baseball fans, if we are lucky, he’ll be doing it for more years to come.

There are sellers out there already taking advantage of Rivera's feat. This person is the ticket stubs from every game this season.

When I think of fan bases that have self-esteem issues, Yankees fans don't jump to mind. So, I have to wonder why they are always so determined to have their players liked by other fans. Red Sox fans never say "even Yankees fans must respect Josh Beckett." Phillies fans never say, "Even Phillies haters must love Roy Halladay." Why do Yankees fans need to have this total adoration of their players?

For the record, while I don't dislike Mo as a person, he doesn't do anything for me. Of all the pitchers who aren't good enough to be starters, he's certainly been the best at racking up that stat they made up to get relief pitchers more money. La de da.

Josh Beckett as a Red Sox player is a douche. When he was on the Marlins, Yankees fans hated him for other reasons, however I liked him before he was traded to the Sox. I was collecting some of his cards when he came up because back then some part of me thought I should or that someone would trade me Yankees for him.

If you have ever listened to an interview with Rivera, there is no way you could hate a guy who downplays EVERYTHING he has done and turns it into "I was just helping the team win".